BAGUIO CITY – The City Peace and Order, Justice and Human Rights Committee passed a resolution requesting the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to immediately submit to the City Mayor the shortlist of qualified senior police officers from which the screening committee to be created by the local chief executive will select the next City Director of the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO).
The committee chaired by Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan enacted the resolution after the unceremonious relief of Senior Superintendent George D. Daskeo, who was duly screened and selected by the screening committee as the permanent BCPO chief sometime in June 2016, stating that the absence of a permanent police chief has derailed the implementation of long-term peacekeeping, anti-criminality, and anti-terrorism campaigns in the city over the past several months.
The resolution stated the status of Senior Superintendent Ramil Saculles as officer-in-charge or acting capacity does not guarantee the effective and efficient implementation of peacekeeping and anti-criminality initiatives intended to ensure that the city is a worthy place to work, study, live and do business.
Earlier in March 2014, Senior Superintendent Jesus D. Cambay, who was also selected by the screening commit created by Mayor Domogan to be the permanent BCPO chief, was suddenly relieved from his post and replaced with Senior Superintendent Rolando F. Miranda, who served as officer-in-charge of BCPO until January 2016.
Daskeo was installed as BCPO officer-in-charge in January 2016 before he was selected by the screening committee chaired by the local chief executive as the permanent BCPO chief in June 2016.
However, on September 30, 2016, Daskeo was also unceremoniously relieved from his post as BCPO chief for the simple reason that he was reportedly overranked for the position and was reassigned to the PNP national headquarters.
Although the city chief executive is mandated to select the BCPO chief, Domogan said it is better that the committee passed the resolution to air the local government’s disappointment over the spate of sudden relief of duly appointed BCPO chiefs to avoid the perception that he is the one interested in having a change in the BCPO leadership, citing that the maximum period for an officer-in-charge to stay in his post is only 30 days, thus, the PNP has been constantly violating its own law.
The committee wants a permanent BCPO chief to be appointed as soon as possible to avoid jeopardizing the peace and order programs whose sustainability may be jeopardized with the fast turnover of police chiefs.
Once the list is available, Domogan will be reconvening the screening committee to select the next BCPO chief as Baguio needs a permanent chief for an effective implementation of peacekeeping strategies.
By Dexter A. See